
Alok Masterbatches based in India has one of the largest portfolios with more than 5000 masterbatches, including a wide range of filler, color and black masterbatch solutions. At K, the company is exhibiting its entire range of commodity masterbatches, while emphasizing its its newly developed color masterbatch solutions for bio-polymers and anti-microbial solutions developed in partnership with Microban. Microban is a US-headquartered company that leads the industry in antimicrobial technology and odor control solutions. At K 2019, Alok and Microban have just announced their strategic partnership for developing antimicrobial solutions in the Indian market.
We met Giorgio Rimini of EMEA managing director of Microban International along with Vikram Bhaduria of Alok Masterbatches at the Alok stand on the first day of K. Rimini explained that Microban’s anti-microbial additives is built into engineered plastics for diverse applications including textiles, health care, agriculture, white goods and consumer products and packaging where hygiene is essential. “The need is to develop a product that is more hygienic – having a surface hostile to micro-organisms. This is technology that works 24 hours a day in the background. For instance, in India this technology is already being used for water tanks,” Rimini explained.
Rimini said that India is a region that is showing active interest in this technology and the numerous inquiries from there can now be efficiently addressed by Alok. Active agents from Microban will be made into suitable compounds by Alok in India. Material testing will also be provided by the Indian collaborator and its manufacturing ability and knowledge of the Indian market will lead to the engineering of active anti-microbial agents into products.